Madley SG51-03 — AUSTopo 1:250,000 Topographic Map (2025)

Little Sandy Desert dunefields, ancient drainage corridors, and distinctive sandstone uplands—mapped east of Lake Disappointment

Covering the Madley map area and the remote country east of Lake Disappointment, this AUSTopo 1:250,000 sheet provides an authoritative regional view of the Little Sandy Desert. Extensive red sand ridges and sandplains are broken by resistant sandstone uplands, rocky outcrops, claypans, internal drainage features, and sparse natural water places.

The landscape includes sections of the ancient Disappointment palaeodrainage and distinctive Madley–Woolnough geological structures that have influenced the form of the surrounding desert. With terrain, vegetation, drainage, remote tracks, natural water features, and isolated localities brought together in one coherent view, the map provides valuable context for land management, geological and environmental research, heritage work, emergency planning, and specialist field operations.

At 1:250,000 scale (1 cm = 2.5 km), this is the largest scale at which published topographic maps cover the entire Australian continent—ideal for regional planning, land management, emergency coordination, and serious remote-area navigation.

Need to confirm adjoining sheets or wider coverage? Explore the official AUSTopo 1:250,000 Map Index.

🧭 Why this map stands out

• Updated mapping (2025) — aligned to modern Australian datums for confident, current use

• True desert-scale perspective — red dunefields, sandstone uplands, claypans, and remote tracks shown across an immense area

• Distinctive drainage context — valuable coverage of the Disappointment palaeovalley and surrounding internally drained terrain

• Professional-grade cartography — relied on by emergency services, researchers, surveyors, and land managers

• Dual coordinate systems — supports smooth transitions between office planning and field navigation

• Printed in Australia — precision output, locally finished and quality-checked

🗺️ What you’ll see

• Contours and spot elevations across sand ridges, sandstone uplands, rocky rises, and subdued desert terrain

• Claypans, salt lakes, palaeodrainage channels, and other internally drained landforms

• Madley–Woolnough geological features and the country east of Lake Disappointment

• Rockholes, soaks, creeks, and other scarce or seasonal water features

• Remote desert tracks, access routes, localities, and isolated infrastructure

• Spinifex, acacia, woodland, and shrubland vegetation patterns

• Administrative boundaries and clear grid overlays for accurate positioning and large-area planning

📐 Map details at a glance

• Scale: 1:250,000

• Series: AUSTopo — Australian Digital Topographic Map Series

• Coverage: Madley SG51-03

• Map currency: 2025

• Coordinates: Geographical & MGA

• Datum: GDA2020, AHD

• Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)

• Sheet size: 900 mm (W) × 500 mm (H)

💧 Field-Ready Options for Rugged Use

Choose the format that best suits your intended use—from lightweight trip planning to demanding all-weather fieldwork.

✅ Standard Paper

• Printed on 100 gsm FSC® coated paper

• Produces crisp, clear text and finely defined map symbols

• Lightweight and convenient for general reference or protected field use

• An economical choice for trip planning, research and office applications

✅ Waterproof and Tearproof Tyvek®

• Made from genuine DuPont™ Tyvek®, an advanced synthetic material composed of pure polyethylene fibres

• Waterproof, tear-resistant, foldable and extremely lightweight

• Printed using HP pigment-based inks for a permanent waterproof finish

• Suitable for backpacks, vehicles and exposed field conditions

• Ideal for bushwalkers, emergency personnel and outdoor professionals

• Provides exceptional durability without the weight and bulk of lamination

✅ Laminated

• Fully encapsulated between two 80-micron gloss laminate sheets

• Highly resistant to water, stains, smudges and tearing

• Draw on the surface with whiteboard markers for route planning or instruction

• Use Mark-It-Dots to identify campsites, hazards, access points or other locations without marking the map permanently

• Wipeable and reusable

• Ideal for offices, classrooms, operations centres and repeated field reference

🎯 Who it’s for

• Emergency services and remote-area coordinators

• Aboriginal organisations, rangers, and heritage professionals

• Environmental, conservation, and land-use managers

• Geologists, surveyors, researchers, and infrastructure planners

• Experienced desert travellers and expedition planners

• Educators and map collectors

🇦🇺 Our commitment

Every AUSTopo map we supply is printed and finished in Australia, colour-managed for accuracy, hand-checked, and packed with care—so it arrives ready for real-world use.

Plan, research, and explore the Madley region with confidence. Choose your finish and add this essential 2025 AUSTopo map to your kit today.